In this review, we take a look at the most important element of the Betfair online sportsbook and casino. Assessing and outlining the range of bets and games on offer from the Betfair sportsbook and exchanges to the casino, arcade, bingo halls and poker rooms, we delve into what Betfair has on offer and how it stacks up against the competition.

We also bring you all the latest Betfair bonuses and offers including £100 in free bets using a Betfair promo code 2018 in the Betfair Sportsbook, up to €1000 in the poker rooms, and a 100% welcome bonus on up to £100 in the online casino. There’s a lot more than this up for grabs, but we’ll get into all the details in the main review itself.

We also take a look at the Betfair betting exchanges and how they open up endless new betting opportunities, allowing you to play the role of both punter and bookmaker. This is an exciting, relatively new way to bet which Betfair helped pioneer, meaning their exchange is one of the best on the web.

So, if you’re considering joining Betfair but are looking for an impartial, fair, balanced review of what it offers, this is the guide for you!

Other Betfair Promotions & Bonuses

The online betting and casino industry has become hugely competitive as of late. There seem to be new sportsbooks and casinos springing up online every other week, and as a result there are some fantastic bonuses available for new and old players alike as bookies battle it out for your business.

First, let’s take a look at what the different bonuses are. If you’re already a seasoned casino player you can skip this section and go directly to the next to see what Betfair offers. If you’re new or aren’t familiar with all of the terms, take a few minutes to read this and familiarize yourself with what types of bonus are out there so that you can better understand what’s on offer.

Casino Bonuses Explained

Welcome/Matching Bonus – A welcome bonus is when the casino will match whatever amount you deposit initially up to a certain percentage. There may also be other awards like Free Spins or Free Chips. Keep in mind that the bonuses are only for certain games, so it is best to read the official Terms and Conditions.

Welcome/matching bonuses vary greatly from casino to casino and some serious free cash can be scored as a result of the hyper-competitive nature of the industry. The Betfair welcome bonus is very generous, which we’ll cover in more detail next.

Free Chips – Free chips are specifically for roulette players who want to try the different games available at a given casino. They are restricted to specific games – in this case Premium Roulette and Live Roulette.

Free chips can also be allocated in different ways. Some casinos dish them out all at once after you make a deposit, while some dish them out over a longer period of time.

Reload Bonuses – Reload bonuses are designed to keep existing players happy. After the initial deposit bonus is finished and has been played with, some casinos offer a second, third, fourth or even ongoing reload bonus scheme.

These are the main types of bonus commonly found at casinos online. Some casinos may offer their own special bonuses or might combine some of the above to create their own blend specifically for their players.

Next, let’s take a look at the bonuses on offer at Betfair.

Betfair Bonuses

Casino Welcome Bonus

There are actually 4 distinct welcome bonuses available for new players, which you can choose from depending on what tickles your fancy.

A 100% match on deposits up to £100 is available and you can use the money on all games. A minimum deposit of £10 is required and wagering requirements apply.

A 200% match on deposits up to £400 is available exclusively for slots. If you’re joining up to spin this is obviously the bonus for you. A minimum of £20 is required and 100 further free spins will be awarded when the bonus has been used, making for a nice little extra reward.

A 50% match on £200 in the Betfair live casino is available. Deposit £20 and Betfair will match it plus give you 5 Free Chips, allowing you to play live dealers at your favourite games with twice the cash. This isn’t the highest we’ve seen, but hey, it’s free money.

30 Free Chips for new players. You’ve simply got to sign up for a new player account and you’ll automatically be awarded with the 30 Free Chips for Premium Roulette and Live Roulette. At Betfair Casino you will get your free chips over a period of 3 days (10 per day).

Sportsbook Bonus

Using the Betfair promo code 2018 will automatically get new players looking to have a punt a £10 free bet. You’ll need to place a 5x£10 bets and as soon as they’re settled, you’ll get your £100 in free bets from Betfair. The bet will have to be at 1.2 odds and will need to be placed within 30 days of opening your account.

Arcade Bonus

Players who wish to play the arcade games can wager £10 and get £10 Betfair Bonus Cash. You’ll need to opt in, wager and play with £10, and another £10 will be deposited into your account automatically once you’ve wagered it. This bonus is valid for specific games (T&Cs apply).

Bingo Bonus

If you stake at least £5 to play bingo you can get £25 from Betfair, significantly increasing the money to play with. You need to wager the bonus amount 25x as a requirement before getting the Betfair Bingo Bonus.

Betfair Website

One of the key determining factors in whether or not you have an enjoyable experience on an online sportsbook or casino is the website.

Thankfully, Betfair have done a fantastic job when it comes to site design and usability.

Their trademark orange and black colours dominate the site’s colour scheme, with simple, easy to locate and navigate tabs at the top leading to the main sections of the site. You can jump straight to the sportsbook, casino, betting exchange or various other sections of the site right from here.

Below the main tabs are a main slider and several thumbnails outlining Betfair’s current and ongoing promotions. Clicking on any of these, from the main welcome bonus to the enhanced odds on whatever matches or games are being played that day will take you directly to the offer.

Navigating around the site is easy, too. We detected no broken links, there are no annoying pop ups or invasive banners, and everything loads lightning fast on a solid internet connection.

We give Betfair top marks for website design and user experience. You couldn’t ask for better!

Note: Betfair also operates through a secure, encrypted connection meaning that any exchanges between you and the site, including of your personal or financial information, is 100% safe. This is becoming a big factor online and it’s reassuring to see Betfair implementing it.

How to Join Betfair

Nobody wants to spend endless amounts of time grinding through a complex and time-consuming sign up process. It’s got to be as streamlined and hassle free as possible, and Betfair have again done a pretty good job in this department.

To create a new account, navigate to the top right and click the grey ‘Join Now’ button beside the login. This will open a new window consisting of the signup form. You’ll be asked to create a username and password, as well as to give some personal details such as your name, e-mail address, date of birth and some other information.

You’ll also be asked to enter your promo code at this stage. It’s absolutely essential that you do this using the Betfair promo code 2018 to redeem your free bets. If you don’t it will be a time-wasting headache later trying to redeem it, if you’re able to at all.

Once you’ve entered all of your details correctly, click the button indicating you agree to the terms and conditions and create a new account.

It’s a very easy process and shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. Once you’re signed up you’ll have to link up a payment method of your choice to fund your account and begin playing.

Note: From time to time, such as if you log in from another country, Betfair may flag your account and ask you to confirm your identity. This can be a minor annoyance if you happen to be selected for a check, but on the other hand it’s reassuring to know that their security team is on the ball and is actively working to prevent fraud and security breaches.

All in all, we found the Betfair sign up process to be pretty standard. It’s easy and if you do get stuck, there’s a live chat team standing by ready to guide you through it.

Once you’re set up, sign in and you’re ready to begin betting.

Betfair Features

Betfair is an all in one destination in terms of what it offers you. If you’re looking to create an account that will allow you to do everything in one place, it’s definitely worth considering them.

Next, we’ll take a look at everything Betfair offers in detail. Feel free to scroll ahead to the section which you’re looking for.

Betfair Sportsbook

There’s no nation on earth that loves a punt more than us Brits! We’re prolific sports bettors, and will have a punt on just about anything.

Betfair clearly are onto this, and have created a sportsbook that allows bets on just about every game, match and sport going.

You can bet on 29 sports in all at Betfair. We’ll cover them in just a moment, but you can see them for yourself by clicking the ‘All Sports’ tab at the left hand side of the main menu, which will bring up the full list.

Aside from this, the main sportsbook page itself is comprehensive and with quick links to take you to the most popular sports, a slider at the top showing enhanced odds and free bets offers, and a complete list including odds on football, rugby, darts, tennis and golf games and matches going on that day, it won’t be difficult to quickly find whatever you’re looking for.

On each side of the odds table you’ll see colourful, attractive thumbnails offering information of other sections of the site such as the Betfair casino and bingo halls. It’s worth checking these offers out as they’re some of the most generous on the web. We’ll explore them in more detail later, though.

If you want to navigate off the main page and focus on a specific sports, such as football or horse racing, just scroll back up to the top of the page and click whatever you’re looking for. This will lead to a new page focusing in more detail on whatever sports you have chosen.

How to Place a Bet on Betfair

You might have noticed while navigating around the sportsbook that in the right hand corner of the site there was a box labelled ‘Betslip’. This is where the bets you have selected will show up, and where you’ll confirm you want to place those bets.

To get going, all you have to do is click on the odds of any game or match you want to bet on. This will then appear in the bet slip. Navigate over to it, enter the amount you want to stake, and after reviewing your bets and double checking them, click ‘Place Bet’ to confirm.

Remember, you can place more than one bet at a time. It’s a good idea to start by placing your first bet as a single bet, since the betslip automatically calculates your returns should you win, and the calculation becomes a little more complex the more bets you place.

As soon as you click ‘Place Bet’ this will command Betfair’s system to follow through and your bets are then irreversible. Make sure you are happy with your bets and have double checked the odds before proceeding.

Note: the first bet you make will be of your own money. Once you’ve met the minimum requirements, the free bet issued by using the Betfair promo code 2018 ZSKABE will be lined up for your next bet.

Sports at Betfair

Let’s now take a look at the sports you can bet on at Betfair. This is a comprehensive list and should give you some betting ideas as you read.

American Football – Long gone are the days when American Football was the forte of America alone. These days, people from everywhere on earth tune in to enjoy the game of human chess, where every yard and inch counts.

There are lots of great betting opportunities on American football from outright winners to tournaments champs to which players will score the most touchdowns in a game, tournaments or season. There are also lots of proposition bets which can be made during game play.

Athletics – The Olympics only come around every 4 years, but there’s always something going on in the world of athletics. Marathons, sprints, gymnastics and javelin throwing go on all year round at both high-profile events like world and continental championships and at lesser known qualifying events.

Athletics presents endless betting opportunities and is a sport where you can truly focus on form. Athletes tend to go through spurts of victory and dominance, and spotting these runs (no pun intended) and betting on them can be a great way to make money betting using your Betfair free bet.

Aussie Rules/AFL – Maybe it’s the huge number of young people who head to Australia for a year and come back, or maybe it’s just cable TV, but Aussie rules football has become quite a big thing in the UK in recent years.

It’s a rough sport, but that’s what makes it so great to watch, and there are plenty of betting opportunities both before games start and during game play. Aussie rules is a great game for proposition betting as it’s pretty wild and unpredictable and anything can happen at any moment.

Baseball – Another popular sport that used to be the domain of Americans alone but which has grown into a global phenomenon in recent times in baseball.

It may not be the most exciting sport to watch, but it has legions of fans and the amount of money which changes hands on both sportsbooks and the exchanges during major league baseball matches is astounding.

Baseball opens up many betting opportunities from predicting the winners of matches to who will score the next home run.

Basketball – Of the three major American sports which have gone global, none has done so more than basketball, which sees more viewers per match than some other sports see in a year.

Basketball is exciting, fast paced and highly unpredictable. In other words, it’s the perfect sport for proposition betting.

Due to the fact that there are so many dedicated fans around the world, there are huge data libraries of historical information online which allow you to research before placing your bets. It’s a good idea to check out historical results, but always remember that if you know, so does the bookie, and he’ll set the odds accordingly. Therefore, it can be better to go against the grain with your bets.

Bowls – Bowls is much less mainstream than the likes of baseball, but it does have many more fans than you might first think and there are some decent opportunities to bet.

Since bowls are a game you might not know much about, it’s advisable to watch a few games, get a feel for who’s who and what’s what, and learn the rules of the game before trying to bet on outcomes.

If you’ve been watching the bowls for years, on the other hand, you can get down to betting right away!

Boxing – There’s nothing better than a good scrap, especially when you have a stake in the outcome! Boxing is as old as man himself, and people have been punting on grown men beating each other half to death since time began.

Boxing is a great sport for utilizing the ‘longshot’ betting strategy, which we’ll cover in more detail later. It’s a sport where the underdog can, and often does, win, and where entire careers can change in the blink of an eye.

Boxing opens up all sorts of betting opportunities from who will win to how they’ll do it to what round they’ll do it in, and any number of other things such as round by round victories.

Chess – This is definitely one for the ‘games’ category rather than sports as such, but don’t let the horn-rimmed glasses and bow-ties fool you, chess is a global phenomenon and it is highly competitive.

While it doesn’t involve direct combat like most other sports, chess is sport for the mind and you can bet on the outcomes among other things. Again, familiarize yourself with the rules, the big names and some of the recent history of the game before betting.

Cricket – Nobody takes the cricket more seriously than us Brits (well, maybe the Aussies), and it shows in the betting patterns, with millions changing hands around major tournaments like the Ashes.

If you’re not an avid fan, cricket might seem like a snooze-fest to you, but it’s amazing how exciting it can be when you have money riding on the outcome.

Cricket is great for both outright bets and proposition bets. Being a cult-like sport with a huge following, there’s plenty of information online to sink your teeth into for betting ideas.

Cycling – The glory days of Lance Armstrong are well and truly gone, but cycling is still a huge sport with a following to match. There are events going on all year and there’s an active betting market to allow you to have a stake in the outcomes.

Cycling requires a little study and some analysis of the historical data. There are cyclists who perform very well in certain races and not so well in others. It’s also a sport highly susceptible to form, and so knowing who’s fit and who’s not at their best is a huge factor when it comes to making intelligent betting decisions.

Darts – Another one for the ‘game’ category, rather than a sport as such, darts is the game of the pubs and bars around Britain and elsewhere in the world, and it’s got a surprisingly big following.

From betting on the number of bullseyes to predicting who will be this year’s darts king, there are plenty of opportunities to bet on the darts.

Financial Bets – There’s no place you can make a fortune faster than Wall Street or the City in London. These days, you don’t have to go to either to get your piece of the pie as you can place your bets on the markets at sites like Betfair.

Financial betting is not for the weak at heart and it does require some understanding of how things work. If you go in blind you will be eaten alive, but if you do your homework there are some almost guaranteed ways to score nice profits.

Financial bets are basic in nature in that you predict whether a share price, commodity or market will rise or fall over a given time frame, be it a minute, a day or a week, but what causes them to move is a little more complex and requires you to get your thinking cap on.

It’s worth studying, however, because when you figure it out there are endless opportunities to bet and you can really make some serious money.

Football – Ah, here it is! The biggest sport of them all where billions change hands on betting exchanges and sportsbooks annually.

The beautiful game is perhaps the most bet on sport of them all. From who will win the Premier League or La Liga, to who will score the most goals in a match or a season, to who will have the most players booked in a given match, football provides endless betting opportunities and since anything can happen, lots of excitement.

Golf – This is another mega sport that sees so much money bet around major tournaments, it’s enough to make your head spin.

Golf used to be the sport of older gentlemen of wealth and prestige, but superstars like Tiger Woods have taken it into the mainstream and it is now bigger and better than ever.

It isn’t always the most exciting game to watch, but it does provide excellent betting opportunities.

Greyhounds – A day at the dogs is somewhat of a ritual for many Brits, but you don’t have to go down to get a piece of the action.

Greyhounds are racing all around the world every single day and there’s no limit to the betting opportunities. Being such a heavily bet on sport, Betfair and many other offer enhanced odds and special deals or greyhound betting almost daily.

Horse Racing – Another punters favourite, horse racing is a never-ending bettors dream, and although most only dabble in and around the big events like Cheltenham and the Grand National, there are daily opportunities to bet on the horses.

If you’re new to the game, keep your eyes on the Irish and the horses they run. They’re the undisputed kings of the sport and there’s no denying it.

Horse racing is great for each way betting, meaning you can make money if your pick finishes in the top 3.

Ice Hockey – Mostly associated with Canada and America until recent times, ice hockey is another sport that’s leapt off the American continent and spread across the world in recent decades. There are now lots of British teams in the mix, with most major cities having one.

Ice hockey is exhilarating to watch and never more so than when you have cash riding on the results. It’s a great sport to bet on because everything can change in the blink of an eye and underdogs can come back to enjoy phenomenal victories.

Mixed Martial Arts – MMA has exploded out of the shadows and into the mainstream recently with superstars like Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz putting it well and truly on the map.

MMA is also heavily bet on, and it’s a sport where everything can change in milliseconds and where fighters who look like they were fit for a week in the hospital at the end of round 1 can and often do come back to win.

Precisely because of its extremely unpredictable nature, MMA is a punter’s dream and underdog bets can often come good. That’s a great way to use your Betfair free bet.

Motor Sports – From F1 to Nascar to Superbike racing, motorsports come in all varieties and you can bet on them just like anything else.

It’s true that F1 is probably the most heavily bet on of them all, but there are many other motorsports going on all around the world, opening up endless possibilities to have a punt.

Politics – 2016 has been an extraordinary year as far as politics goes, and it isn’t over yet. We’ve seen some huge, unpredictable changes and more are sure to come, making it an ideal time to bet on politics, especially for the unlikely events everybody says will never happen.

Politics isn’t a sport per se, but when you consider how combative it can get, it isn’t far off one!

Rugby – Whether it’s rugby league or rugby union, there’s always plenty going on and plenty of betting opportunities in this ever-growing sport.

Most of the bets focus on the British club leagues and tournaments, but big international tournaments draw in serious cash and big betting opportunities pop up both on the exchanges and in the sportsbooks.

Tennis – From the 4 annual grand slams to the non-stop qualifying matches and lesser known tournaments going on around the world daily, tennis is a heavily bet on sport with endless opportunities to have a punt.

From outright winners to proposition bets like who will score the next fault, tennis offers a lot more to potential punters than initially meets the eye. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole, and once you start getting into it and spotting the patterns, can be extremely interesting!

Betfair Online Casino

Betfair’s online casino leaps off the screen and makes an immediate impact with a bright and colourful purple and pink background and the same easy to navigate tabs that are featured on the rest of the site.

Scrolling over any tab, such as ‘Slots’ or ‘Table’ will automatically bring up a list of thumbnails showing the best of what’s on offer. These won’t list everything in most cases, but are a useful glance at some of what’s in store should you proceed to that section.

Here’s a glimpse of what Betfair offers you in the online casino:

Betfair Slots

Slots are the most played casino game on the web, and that’s an undisputed fact. Therefore, any casino hoping to compete has to offer a range of the very best slots available.

Betfair brings a huge list of slots to the table from top game providers like Playtech, NetEnt and others. For players in the know, that means you’re getting the absolute best of the best and will have a superior gaming experience on some award winning, hugely popular titles.

Marvel Slots – There are a range of Marvel-themed slots on Betfair ranging from Hulk, to X-Men to Spiderman themed video titles.

These slots tend to be graphically superior and typically have more extra features and bonus rounds than average games.

Marvel slots have become hugely popular in recent times and as more and more movies come out based on the comics, we can expect to see this trend continue.

The jackpots on these Marvel slots also tend to be huge, with Hulk and Spiderman both paying out jackpots north of £1,000,000 reasonably regularly.

Blockbuster Slots – Big name movies like Gladiator and Psycho have also been turned into slots games. You can find a range of blockbuster themed slots at Betfair, including Gladiator itself, a slot so popular there have been several spin-offs of it.

This epic slots allows you a chance to win millions and features scenes from the movie itself at key points in the game. The biggest jackpot ever won on Gladiator is over £3,000,000!

Popular Playtech Slots – Playtech has released some of the most popular slots games in the world over the course of their publishing history. From Mr. Cashback to Beach Life, several titles have stood the test of time and remain popular and relevant today despite newer releases with more enhanced graphics and features.

There are lots of popular Playtech slots titles in the Betfair library. You definitely won’t be stuck for choice.

Table Games

No online casino would be complete without a range of the most popular table games enjoyed in bricks and mortar casinos across the world. The following is some of what’s on offer at Betfair.

Roulette – Roulette lovers will find Betfair particularly appealing, since there are more versions in the casino than you could reasonably play. From American to European to Multi-wheel to live dealer and pinball, if your favourite thing in the casino is watching the red and black wheel spin, Betfair will be right up your street.

Craps – If shooting dice is your thing you have three good options at Betfair. You can play standard craps, or you can play Sic Bo or live Sic Bo. The digital versions are fully comprehensive and feature all elements of a standard craps game, and the graphics are up to date with crisp, clear images and great sounds effects making it as close to the real thing as possible.

Wild Viking – If you’re looking for something you don’t see at every online casino, Wild Viking could be the table game for you. To sum it up in a nutshell, it’s a cross between poker and roulette. You play with 52 cards plus 2 jokers against the dealer/banker and the aim of the game is to bet on cards, roulette style, in the hope that they’ll be among the final 5 the dealer turns over.

This is rough explanation, but playing a few rounds will cause you to quickly pick it up. It’s interesting and a break from the same old table games seen at every casino on the web.

Pro Tip: There are many different roulette strategies online, but by far the best and simplest is the Martingale a.k.a Double Down strategy. To use it, simply double the previous losing bet. For example, if you start by betting £5 on red and you lose, place £10 on red next time. If you lose again, place £20 on red and, should you win, you’ll recoup all of your previous losses plus the original stake.

There is one in-built problem with this system, but it happens rarely. If you get a particularly long losing streak you might run into table limits, meaning you can’t double your previous bet any longer because you’ve reached the maximum allowed at the casino.

This can be countered to some extent by playing at no-limits tables or tables with limits so high it won’t concern you. In that case, provided you have the bankroll, you can keep going for as long as it takes to win back all you’ve lost and the original stake.

If you’re a high-roller, just add a few zeros and the same strategy will work!

Betfair Card Games

Card games are what come to most people’s minds when they think of casinos, and a comprehensive range of the best-known games is needed to make the experience complete when playing online.

It’s impossible for any single online casino to provide very variation on every card game, but Betfair has provided a very solid range of games to enjoy. Here are some of what’s on offer:

Blackjack – There are five versions of Blackjack available including standard blackjack, surrender, perfect, UK blackjack, blackjack switch, and live dealer blackjack. That’s about every popular version covered.

Baccarat – Digital baccarat and live dealer punto banco are both options if this is your favourite casino game.

Casino Hold ‘Em – You can play both digital and live dealer versions of casino Hold ‘Em.

Other Card Games – If the best-known and most popular games outlined above aren’t what you’re looking for, there are some other options including red dog, pontoon, stravaganza, tequila poker and Caribbean stud.

Video Poker

Most online casinos offer 1 or 2 video poker games, but Betfair has gone a step further here and offer 15 titles in total. You can play 2 Ways Royal, Aces and Faces, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Jacks or Better and plenty of other video poker titles.

Arcade Games

This is something you definitely won’t see at every other online casino, and it’s a nice touch. You can enjoy digital versions of bowling, darts, football, head or tails, keno, pop bingo and various other digital games.

Live Dealer Games

These days no casino would be complete without live dealer games. It’s become quite a trend in recent times as faster internet speeds and enhanced video technology has allowed for their rise.

Live video games at Betfair include Sic Bo, roulette, blackjack, Hold ‘Em, Punto Bacno and Hi-Lo.

If live dealer games are new to you, it’s worth giving them a try. The friendly, professional dealers and real-time nature of the games feels as close as it can to sitting down at the real tables in a bricks and mortar casino.

Nothing can replace the real thing, of course, but live dealer games are getting better and better and we are excited to see where the technology behind these takes us in the future.

Betfair Poker

After the US came down on online gambling like a tonne of bricks, many believed that the glory days of online poker were over.

While things have certainly taken a dip, there’s still plenty going on and it hasn’t impacted the UK too much at all. There are live poker tournaments with huge jackpots going on around the clock all over the web, and Betfair has its own poker section to give you a slice of the action.

A quick look around the poker section will reveal tabs guiding you to the promotions (we’ll cover these in the next section), the tournaments themselves along with a list of buy-ins, start times and fees, and a how to play poker guide for those who are new to the game and may need some reference points or for those who want to refresh their memory on poker hands and odds.

It’s highly advisable to start small and play in the minimum buy-in tournaments if you’re in any way new to the game. There are some serious poker sharks cruising around the web, and since Betfair is one of the biggest and best known sites, you can be sure some of them are here playing in the high-roller rooms.

On the other hand, if you’re a wannabe poker pro, feel free to rise to the challenge and take them on!

Buy-ins range from £1 to £1000 and rebuys are allowed in some tournaments.

Poker Tip: If you’re completely new to poker and need a reference sheet, there’s nothing to stop you printing out a list of poker hands and probabilities and using them during game play. This would draw suspicious eyes in a bricks and mortar casino, but if you’re sitting comfortably at home with your feet up, then you only have yourself to answer to.

One thing to be avoided, however, is playing with poker bots. These are computer programs that automatically play for you, calculating the odds lightning fast and doing the hard work for you. Online casinos don’t like poker bots and have devised ways to detect them. If they spot a bot pattern, they have the right to ban you from playing and freeze your account.

Besides, it’s much more fun to play yourself! Poker is one of the best-loved and most played games in the word for a reason – it’s genuinely fun and is truly exhilarating!

Betfair Bingo

Brits love bingo! Just ask any holiday rep from Blackpool to Barbados, and Betfair has cottoned on and know that UK players demand it.

Bingo games start around the clock and there are some cool themes and variations you can enjoy as a break from the norm. Tickets start as low as 2p and jackpots can be in the tens of thousands.

You’ll also find the full range of scratch-cards Betfair offers in the bingo section.

Pools Betting

Another type of bet that’s characteristically British is pools betting, also known as ‘the pools’. In your grans day, they had to send in their pools bets by post, but living in 2016 we have the luxury of playing online with the click of a button.

For those new to the pools, it involves correctly predicting the outcome of several matches, most usually football. This is by no means an easy feat, but tickets are typically very cheap and the payouts can be in the millions.

Betfair run ‘colossus’ in their pools section, which gives players a chance to win £10,000,000. It’s not likely, let’s face it, but all it takes is that one lucky ticket and for this reason alone players all over the UK play the pools regularly. Note, the Betfair free bet is restricted to the sportsbook and can’t be used on pools.

Betfair Virtual Sports

Thanks to the breakneck development of technology, you can now bet on all sorts of sporting events that aren’t taking place between athletes in the real world.

Virtuals, as they’ve come to be known, are computer simulated races, fights and matches of all kinds. The programs are run on historical data, meaning the program which simulates David Haye in a boxing match or Andy Murray in a tennis match will actually have the strengths and weaknesses of the player in question.

Virtuals are a great way to bet on events you can’t wait to see in the real world, but it’s fair to say they don’t quite replace the real thing just yet! The graphics are getting better and more true to life with every passing breakthrough, but many punters will agree it isn’t quite the same as the real deal.

Expect to see virtuals become more and more prominent as the technology behind virtual reality enhances are breaks into the mainstream. For now, however, it’s just a fun way to have a punt on something that either isn’t on the cards or which you can’t wait to see in the real world.

Virtuals don’t actually require you to get involved or play anything. They’re a computer simulation, but are controlled by complex algorithms behind the scenes. You can place your bets, sit back, and relax, just as you would as if the event was happening in real life. If you fancy betting on the grand national every weekend, it’s possible with virtuals.

Note: Some old-school players have a deep-seated mistrust of virtual games and feel they could easily be rigged. It’s natural to approach new technology with skepticism, and it’s good to have your guard up online, but you can rest assured that reputable sites like Betfair, with UK gaming licenses, aren’t rigging anything.

Virtuals are in fact controlled by random number generators, with mathematical algorithms far too complex to interfere with. You can relax in the knowledge that the UK Gambling authorities and other watchdogs have their eyes on online casinos round the clock, and they would never get away with cheating you.

Betfair Exchange

Betfair is famous for being one of the early adopters and developers of the betting exchanges.

Exchanges are very different from sportsbooks in that they allow you to both play bookie and punter all from the same terminal, and they allow you to close out bets prematurely and take profits early.

Bets can be both bought and sold on just about anything, provided someone else is willing to take the opposing position. You can bet both that something will happen, such as that a player will score a penalty in a football match, or that something won’t happen, such as that no more goals will be scored in a match before the final whistle.

If you do decide to wear the bookies hat and sell bets, be sure you’re well capitalized. You’ll have to pay losing bets out at the odds agreed upon, which can get expensive if something ridiculous happens (think Leicester City winning the Premier League). That said, if you play the exchanges cautiously and only place smart bets, you can make a lot of money and there are people who have quit their jobs and taken it up full time.

The exchange tab on Betfair is broken into several different sections including all of the specific sports you can bet on, a home page showing all possible bets for the day, an ín-play section showing matches, fights and games currently ongoing, an open bets tab showing any bets you have places or sold and their profits and losses, and the Tradefair tab, which allows you to bet on financial markets.

There are endless betting possibilities on the exchanges and some serious cash can be made. One of the biggest advantages is that bets can be cashed out during game play, meaning as the odds change you can close bets and take your profits before the final bell, whistle or whatever else signals the end.

For those new to the exchanges who are looking to understand more about it, learn some betting strategies, and perhaps soak up some tips, tricks and strategies, the forum tab will lead you into a community full of knowledge and ideas from experienced veterans, those in the know, and those just figuring things out like yourself.

Betting exchanges are the future. They’ve already exploded in growth and are only going to keep increasing in popularity. If you’re not in on them, you’re missing out.

To get started, just find the exchange login and enter your details.

Betfair Mobile Casino

Since the majority of online casino players and sports bettors today are mobile, making up 51% of the total in 2016, any firm that wants to compete needs to have a top-notch mobile site, and Betfair has clearly paid a lot of attention to this area.

The Betfair mobile site responds automatically to both phones and tablets, and automatically detects the device you’re using, serving up the right site.

The layout on mobile is significantly different from the full site, and you’ll find the quick links to most of what you’re looking for along the bottom this time, rather than the top.

At first, you’ll be presented with the Betfair sportsbook offering three major tabs: Football, tennis and in-play. If you plan to bet on these sports, just click the correct tab and proceed.

For a full list of all sports which can be bet on navigate to the bottom menu and click ‘A-Z Sports’. This will bring up a full list of all the sports outlined above which you can bet on.

For casino games, navigate to the same menu and click ‘Games’ represented by the dice icon. You’ll see thumbnails offering up slots and some table and cards games like roulette and blackjack. It’s worth noting that there are fewer games available on mobile than on the full site, but this is standard across online casinos and there’s still plenty to select from in terms of both casino and arcade games.

Overall, the Betfair mobile site is quick to load and has been designed very well. It would be nice to see more games on offer as mobile technology progresses, but for now, this will do just fine.

You can use the Betfair promo code 2018 on mobile devices as well as desktops. Betfair also have a mobile app available on iOS devices, as well as an Android app.

Customer Service

It’s crucially important that online spotsbooks and casinos back up their services with a customer help team to resolve differences and answer questions. Betfair has provided multiple ways for you to contact them if you have questions, concerns or disputes.

Live Chat – The Betfair live chat team is available 24/7 right on the website. We fired a couple of questions across to them regarding payment methods and the terms and conditions of bonuses, and they answered quickly and gave us the information we needed to make an informed decision.

Phone – Not everybody likes to type, and some people like to talk to someone over the phone to make themselves understood. There are several numbers to call depending on where you are in the world. The wait can vary depending on the volume of calls being handled, but for such a busy site with so many bettors and players, it wasn’t too bad and the agent on the other end was helpful and courteous.

E-Mail – If you’re not in a rush and can wait a little bit for answers, e-mail is another option. This is best suited to question payments and general queries as it does take longer to get answers than it would by live chat or phone. Nonetheless, it’s an option for those who prefer this method of communication.

It’s important for customer service teams to respond quickly, know what they’re talking about, and for them to be empowered to resolve disputes. Overall, Betfair has done a good job here, and there are no complaints for us.

Betting Strategies & Ideas – How to Use Your Betfair Promo Code 2018

There are plenty of ways to use your free bet to come out ahead and walk away with extra cash in your pocket. In this section, we’ll explore some of the most popular betting strategies and how we can use them to maximize the utility of our free bets. Remember, betting should be about having fun first, and there’s no such thing as a sure thing!

Strategy 1 – Hedge Your Bets to Manage the Risk

Whether or not you’re using your free bet exclusively or are sing some of your own capital, it’s always wise to resist the urge to make fast money and play a longer game for smaller profits which add up over time.

The key to this is ‘hedging’ your bets or minimizing the amount you can lose.

An example of hedging would be the following:

It’s a UFC event and Michael Bisping is about to defend his title against Luke Rockhold. The bad blood between these two is palpable, so you can rule out a draw. Somebody is going down!

Bisping, being the champion, is the favourite. His current price at the bookies is 1/2 while Rockhold has odds of 4/3. You want to bet on Bisping, but you know Rockhold can be dangerous and you don’t want to lose all of your money in case he catches the champ off guard.

Given these odds, you can bet £20 on Bisping for a £10 return, and you can also bet £6 on Rockhold, knowing that if he pulls off an upset, you’ll walk away only £2 down. You’ll win £10 and lose £6 if Bisping wins as you believe, for a total of £4, and you’ll lose £10 and win £8 if Rockhold wins, leaving you down only £2 and living to bet another day.

The trick with this strategy is to tame your greed and the desire for fast profits. Don’t think of the other bet as lost money, think of it as insurance.

This betting strategy is somewhat counterintuitive, but that’s precisely why it works. The key here is to always bet small amounts of money on the improbable with odds that will see you gain huge returns should they occur.

Nicholas Taleb, the famous financial trader and author of Fooled by Randomness, refers to this strategy as ‘Betting on the Black Swan’. The black swan is a rare creature that nobody believed in when it was first reported by early Australian explorers, but it nonetheless turned out to be true.

Betting this way will see you lose lots of little bets often, but they will be cancelled out by the big wins when they come, and in the world of sports, they are sure to do so!

You could lose 90 small £1 bets in a row and if you win the 91st at 100/1 odds, you’re in the money. That’s how this strategy works in a nutshell. If these small numbers don’t excite you, feel free to add zeros to please your appetite.

Remember when betting this way that there is no rhyme nor reason to when the wins will come. You could lose 200 in a row then win 3, or you could win 1 out of 40, or 3 in a row then nothing for months. It’s truly random, you’ve just got to take it as it comes!

Strategy 3 – Stick with the Favourites & Look for Enhanced Deals

This betting strategy is far more conservative than the previous mentioned, and basically aims to stick with the bookies favourites.

You’ll always be risking more than you stand to gain in these situations, but the theory is you’ll come out on top in the long run since the bookmaker rarely gets it wrong.

The problem with this betting philosophy is that the bookmaker also sets the odds, and he will set them, naturally, in his favour. That means that when the losses come, they could wipe out all of the gains you’ve made previously.

This can be offset somewhat by looking out for enhanced odds offers. These are promotions whereby the bookmaker gives you better odds than what the rest of the market is offering. That means you can bet on the favourites as you normally would, but you’ll have an edge thanks to these promotions.

Most bookies, including Betfair, run enhanced odds almost daily. Looking out for these deals could give you an edge, but this method is still inherently risky and a big loss could see you set back to square 1.

Enhanced odds are a regular promotion run on top of the Betfair free bet.

Strategy 4 – Spread the Risk

This strategy combines two of the above mentioned strategies. It involves betting small amounts on the favourites, but placing many bets knowing that your wins will outweigh your losses.

For example, you might bet £1 on every favourite in the Premier League on any given Saturday. The idea is that you’ll lose 2 or 3 of these bets, but most of the favourites will come good and you’ll end up collecting more than you lost.

Plenty has been written about this strategy and the jury is out. It works in theory, but there’s no denying it involves risk and you could easily lose more than you gain. Let’s say, in a nutshell, this one works a fair amount of the time, but it’s certainly not a sure thing.

Summary

All in all, Betfair is a great all-rounder and whatever it is you’re looking for, you’ll find it here. Whether you want to bet on sports, spins slots, play live dealer blackjack or do basically anything else, Betfair is a destination that allows you to do it all in one place. With a £100 free bet to sweeten the deal, there’s no reason not to give it a try.